4 steps to deescalate the drama from mean people

4 steps to deescalate the drama from mean people4 steps to deescalate the drama from mean peopleIt happens a lot at work and in life. You get drawn into a dispute wherbeie after a few minutes you find yourself defending a lage you never took. Or people come to you to mediate a situation that does not warrant your involvement. Or you find yourself doing things for someone out of duty not honor. I could write volumes on what motivates people to behave this way but thats not important. These are boundary issues. The bottom line is when others dont have them you must create them for yourself.Understand boundariesA boundary is simply an imaginary line between what you will and will not allow. You cant change someone elses behavior. They are on their own journey. If you sense someone is being a victim for attention or notice they are triangulating others against you for personal reasons there is nothing you can do about their behavior. The best thing you can do is to quickly create a posit ion and stick to it.Establish your homebase before you speakYour Homebase is your position no matter what curveball gets thrown your way. Dont play their game. You will not win if you are defending anything. You must be proactive to gain momentum. You must be the moving party. If you want to take the organization in a new direction dont defend against how business is just fine now without the change. Segue back to your Homebase. Hurl back questions asking them what they will do when the industry shifts and your speed to market will take too long to catch up. This takes planning. When conflict occurs in the moment you must think quickly. Pause, take a deep breath and ask yourself, What is my Homebase? Why this? Why now?Always trust your gutWhen you cant decide what your Homebase is that is a signal that something is out of alignment. Trust your gut. Your mind might be too analytical and your heart too emotional. Step back and allow for a broader view. Rely on your intuition. The deci sion may not even be yours to make. Who else should be involved?Clear boundaries establish trustYour team will respect you for your boundaries because they will know where they stand. Consistency is key. They should know if they come to you complaining about another employee you will first ask, Have you spoken with him about this? What do you think his perspective is? If they complain about not having enough time to do something new you will say, I trust your advice. What do you think we can stop doing to make time? If your daughter tells you that you are the only parent who wont let their child go on a ski weekend without adult supervision she should expect that you will say, Im comfortable with that. Im the only one who is your parent.MaryLeeGannon, ACC, CAEis an executive coach and corporate CEO who helps busy leaders get off the treadmill to nowhere to be more effective, earn more, bemore calm and enjoyconnected relationships with the people who matter while it still matters.Wat ch her FREE Master Class training on Three Things to Transform Your Life and Career Right Now atwww.MaryLeeGannon.com.